’s IN CHRIST {leader manual }
it ’ s all about relationships
IN CHRIST
rmy one
RELATIONSHIPS SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: Love – Right at the Heart. What and Why we Believe.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following, remembering to include reference to the suggested Scripture and how it relates to the topic (see page 02 of the In Christ book): 1. Try to imagine your life with no relationships. Mark 12:31 2. What gives meaning to each relationship? Romans 12:3-8; Galatians 3:26-28 3. How would you describe God? Psalm 8; Isaiah 55:8, 9; John 1:18 4. What specific roles do the Father, Son and Holy Spirit play in our lives? John 16:13-15; 17:20, 21 Activity Ideas •• Give each person a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Suggest they draw a large circle and put ‘X’ in the middle. The ‘X’ represents them. Then they should write in the circle the names of people they know, putting the ones they know best near ‘X’, and the ones they know least towards the outside. Discuss what it is that makes it possible to know some people very well, and others hardly at all. •• Read the ‘Love and Relationships’ chapter (pp 9-12) from Love - Right at the Heart. A section of it is printed on page 08. Follow that reading by asking in christ
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two members of the group to read the parts of Sam and Joe, who take time to discuss it (see text on page 08). Carry on this conversation with group 01 members. •• Read the extract, from What and Why we Believe, by Harry Dean, which refers to Doctrine 3 – the Trinity (see text on page 09). You may like to read Doctrine 3 first. IN PRAYER Ask God to show you how a right relationship with him can produce the best foundation for all other relationships. Father God, thank you for the eternal relationship between you, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Thank you that you want to have a close relationship with each of us, because you love us so much. We ask you to be at the heart of all our relationships with others. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Recognising that relationships are at the heart of life. •• Recognising that a personal relationship with Jesus is the foundation of life as a Christian.
– relationships one
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IN CHRIST
GOD THE FATHER SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: Holiness Unwrapped. From Generation to Generation.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 04 of the In Christ book): 02 1. In what ways does the Lord’s Prayer make us a family? Matthew 6:9-15 2. As God is the supreme example of fatherhood, what should parents be like? Matthew 7:9-12; Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4 Note: Be sensitive to the fact that some members of the group may not have a good experience of parenthood. 3. Discuss ways in which the family of God can give us identity. Matthew 5:43-48; John 1:10-13 4. What aspects of family likeness can you see in your Christian fellowship? Galatians 5:22, 23; Ephesians 4:11-13 Note: The chapter found in From Generation to Generation, ‘Family Identity’ (page 10), may be useful for Question 3 (see part of the text on page 09). Activity Ideas •• Draw a tree and draw pieces of fruit on the tree to represent the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22, 23. Draw the size of each piece of fruit to show how well you believe that part of the fruit of the Spirit is seen in your in christ– god the father
life. For example, if you believe that you are a very patient person, draw the fruit of patience very large. If it is comfortable for the group, discuss with each other where you need to improve. Alternatively, spend some time in quietness for each person to think about themself. Finish by praying for each other. One idea is for each person to pray for the person on their left. •• Read the extract about the fruit of the Spirit from Holiness Unwrapped (see text on page 10). IN PRAYER Use the Lord’s Prayer, identifying how each line covers an essential part of life. Our Father in Heaven – We draw near to you because you care for us and have taught us to cast all our cares on you. We draw near to you because all things are possible to you and you know what things we have need of before we ask. Hallowed be your name – Through the Church which is your body. Through the presence of the Spirit in all our worship. Your Kingdom come – Through the patient and faithful work of your disciples.
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In the business and commerce life of our country, in shop and office and factory. In all our relationships and in our homes. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven – In our work day by day and in the use of our time. In all our choices and plans. Give us today our daily bread – When we find that our resources of people or money are small. Forgive us our sins – Because we have accepted the world’s standards and failed to shine as lights in the world. Because we have lacked love towards each other. We forgive those who have sinned against us – If there are those who have laughed at us and mocked our attempts to serve you. If our love has been rejected, our concern misunderstood. Lead us not into temptation – When we are given a position of importance or responsibility. When others would try to persuade us to do things which are not Christlike. Deliver us from the evil one – When we are tempted to take revenge. When we are tempted to use wrong
methods to grow the Church. Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory – Because you rule as King over all things and all people. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that all Christians are members of the family of God. •• Understanding that God is the perfect example of what a father should be like. •• Recognising that family likeness is seen as the fruit of the Spirit is developed within us.
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ONE LIFE – WILLIAM BOOTH one rmy
GOD THE FATHER one rmy
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03
IN CHRIST
SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: Samuel Logan Brengle: Heart for God.
SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: Holiness Unwrapped. Called to be God’s People. Samuel Logan Brengle: Heart for God. The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine. The Sacraments and the Bible.
Essentials of Christian Experience.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 07 of the In Christ book): 1. Identify how Jesus placed relationships at the heart of all he said and did. John 8:3-11; Mark 10:46-52; John 3:3-8; 04 John 4:1-30; Luke 10:27, 28 2. Consider ways in which your priorities are changed by your commitment to Jesus. Mark 8:34-37 3. What are the implications of becoming like Christ? Philippians 3:10, 11 4. How can we become more Christlike? Colossians 3:15-17 Activity Ideas •• Four Bible characters are mentioned in the main teaching and in the discussion questions – the woman caught in adultery; Bartimaeus; Nicodemus; the Samaritan woman. For each character, ask a member of the group to imagine they are that character and then describe the difference their encounter with Jesus made. Did their lifestyle change? Did they feel differently about themselves afterwards? •• Read the following passage from Samuel Logan Brengle: Heart for God (pp 4546), which speaks of Christlikeness (see text on page 10). Think of people you know who have influenced you because they are ‘in Christ’. Give thanks for them in christ– god the son
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
during the prayer time. Share any stories you know of people whose lives were greatly changed when they invited Christ into their lives (remember that not everyone undergoes a dramatic change when they become a Christian, although all are changed in some way). •• Read the short passage from Essentials of Christian Experience, pp 20-21 (see text on page 11). IN PRAYER How can my life better reflect Jesus and his will for me? Lord Jesus, we ask that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in us to make us more like you. Please show us your will for our lives and give us courage to be obedient. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that it is God’s will and purpose for all Christians to be like Jesus. •• Recognising that becoming like Jesus means allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. •• Recognising that following Jesus may lead to difficulties and challenges.
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IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 08 of the In Christ book): 1. Why is inner experience more important than outward show or observance? Matthew 15:1-11 Note: The Army has always seen Christian living to be more important than any ceremonies. There are a number of sections in Called to be God’s People that expand on why this is so, including some pages specifically about the Sacraments. It would help to have the book to hand for this question. However, for this section, we have words from William Booth that give clear indication of his approach. They are quoted here and conclude the chapter on the ‘Call to Celebrate Christ’s Presence’ (p 38) in Called to be God’s People (see text on page 10 of the In Covenant Leader’s Manual). There are other books too that explain the Army’s teaching. In any discussion it is helpful to know what it is. Among literature available is a specific section in The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine (pp 269-272). See also chapter 4 in Who are these Salvationists? (Shaw Clifton) and Phil Layton’s The Sacraments and the Bible. Additional resources can, as always, be found on the One Army website. 2. What does being ‘born again’ mean? John 3:3-8 in christ
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3. What difference does the Holy Spirit’s presence make to our lives? Acts 1:8; John 14:25, 26; Ephesians 1:17 4. What is meant by ‘a new creation’? 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 6:15 Activity Ideas Note: It may be helpful to refer back to the section from The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine, pp 151-152, also used in the Leader’s Manual for In Calling. •• Read the passage from Holiness Unwrapped, ‘You Must be Born Again’ (see text on page 11) and then ask why doesn’t God force us into a relationship with him? IN PRAYER Recognise the presence of Christ in your life. Reaffirm his Lordship and guidance. Thank God for the privilege of personal relationship with him through the Holy Spirit. Dear Lord, thank you that you offer us the gift of new birth. Thank you that we can enjoy a personal relationship with you, through the power of the Holy Spirit. With joy we accept you as Lord of our lives. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that being born again is the work of the Holy Spirit within us. •• Understanding that no outward ceremony can bring about this change.
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05
REFERENCED RESOURCES one rmy
WITH EACH OTHER one rmy
IN CHRIST
WITH EACH OTHER
REFERENCED RESOURCES FOR THIS UNIT
SUPPORTING RESOURCES Book: Called to be God’s People.
This unit in part relates to Doctrines 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 11 of the In Christ book): 1. What does Paul mean when he says ‘We are all one in Christ’? Galatians 3:26-28 06 2. How well do we honour each other and other Christians as members of one body – in Christ? 1 Corinthians 12:27–13:13 3. Are there certain areas of discrimination – e.g. gender, ethnicity, age – that still need to be addressed in our fellowship? 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 4. Read Romans 8:38, 39 and consider the ultimate strength of being ‘in Christ’. Called to be God’s People, ‘Call to War’ (pp 94-95) gives further comment for the consideration of this question (see text on page 12). Activity Ideas •• Imagine that you are a corps officer and that one of your soldiers leaves the corps to join a different church. What might be the right and wrong ways of dealing with this situation, bearing in mind we are all one in Christ? •• Imagine a similar situation, but now one of your soldiers meets the former soldier in the street. What would be some wrong reactions of the soldier? What would be some right reactions? in christ– with each other
•• The third paragraph of the text in the In Christ book makes some strong statements about behaviour which can damage a Christian fellowship. Encourage each member to think about their own behaviour. Are there members of the corps that they regularly avoid? Do they treat some members better than others? Give time for some thought and silent prayer. Give time for anyone to share their thoughts if they wish to do so. IN PRAYER Pray that God will unite us all in true fellowship. Dear Lord, we thank you that because we are each in Christ, we all belong to the Body of Christ. We pray that our unity in Christ will become more and more a reality in all our dealings with each other. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that Christians are members of one body in Christ and therefore should support each other. •• Recognising that there should be no discrimination of any kind within the Church. •• Recognising that being ‘in Christ’ is a privilege which affects our whole lives both now and in eternity.
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BOOKS Love – Right at the Heart, ‘Love and Relationships’ (chapter 2), pp 9-12, Salvation Books, IHQ 07 What and Why we Believe, ‘The Trinity’ (chapter 3), pp 39-40, Harry Dean, Salvation Books, IHQ Holiness Unwrapped, ‘The Fruit of the Spirit’, pp 69-71, Australia Eastern Territory From Generation to Generation, ‘Family identity’ (chapter 2), pp 7-11, Robert and Janet Street, Salvation Books, IHQ Samuel Logan Brengle: Heart for God, ‘A Man in Christ’, pp 45-46, edited by Peter Farthing, Carpenter Media, Australia Eastern Territory Essentials of Christian Experience, ‘The work of the Spirit’ (chapter 3), pp 17-23, Frederick Coutts, Salvation Books, IHQ See Graham Kendrick’s song, ‘All I once held dear’, especially verse 3 Holiness Unwrapped, Part Two, Salvation Books, IHQ and Australia Eastern Territory Called to be God’s People, Rationale on the Sacraments, pp 111-115, Salvation Books, IHQ Samuel Logan Brengle: Heart for God, ‘The Holy Spirit and you’, pp 53-54, ibid See page 2 of the One Army introduction unit ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Born Again in the Spirit, by Kapela Ntoya, Salvation Books, IHQ WEBSITES www.salvationarmy.org/onearmy www.salvationarmyspirituallife.org
@TSAOneArmy What resources would you add? Let us know by emailing OneArmy@salvationarmy.org or visit www.salvationarmy.org/ onearmy/resources
referenced resources
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CHAPTER 2 pp 9-10 ‘Love and Relationships’ – from Love – Right at the Heart. Life means nothing without relationships and love is at the heart of relationships. Love that shows affection, or gives commitment, or makes sacrifices for others, is essential to making life worthwhile. Without relationships, without love, we are missing the point of being alive. So it should be no surprise that the Christian faith, at its heart, is first and foremost about relationship. Centuries ago, St Augustine had identified this fact and, in a prayer, expressed it something like this: ‘You have made us for yourself, O God, and 08 our hearts are restless until they rest in you’. We are made for relationship – and, in a special way – relationship with God. The gospel itself is about relationship. In 2 Corinthians 5:19, we are told ‘that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ…’. When John speaks in his Gospel of Jesus coming to earth, he speaks in terms of relationship (1:11, 12). When Jesus announced the Kingdom of God he announced it in terms of himself (Luke 11:20). He presented himself as the Saviour (John 3:17). He called people to follow him (Mark 1:17), not a set of rules. He declared himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). This was followed by the promise that all who come to the Father do so through him. It is relationship from start to finish... When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he invited them to address God as Father (Luke 11:2). He could have chosen any number of names – Almighty, Jehovah, Sovereign, Lord – but he didn’t, he chose Father. He went further than merely saying that God could be referred to as Father; he told them they could call him Father leader’s manual
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– personally, and in their own everyday language. In so doing, he brought a new and intimate approach to relationship with God. He also brought all mankind together as one family, under one Father. It is this unity, this sense of family, of relationship and of mutual support that we embrace – not just with those closest to us, but with all who serve with us in the Father’s name.’ (The last paragraph of this chapter can also be studied with the next section, God the Father.) CHAPTER 2 pp 11-12 ‘Love and Relationships’ – from Love – Right at the Heart. Sam and Joe – from the ‘Love and Relationships’ chapter. After the meeting Sam: Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Joe: Thought of what? Sam: That everything is about relationships. Joe: Even the greatest commandment? Sam: Especially the greatest commandment! Joe: It makes being a Christian...well, personal, doesn’t it? Sam: It can’t be anything else, can it? It’s about God loving us – and showing that he loves us. Then it’s about us loving God in return – and showing that we love him. Joe: By the way we live. Sam: By the way we behave – especially towards other people. Joe: It’s not easy to love some people, though. I mean...some of them are so annoying – or just plain rude. Sam: Perhaps that’s what God might think about us. Joe: Annoying or rude? I suppose he could. Sam: But he still loves us. Do you think we disappoint him, Joe?
Joe: More than we realise, I should imagine. Christian relationships should be good though, and – how shall I put it? – enriching. Sam: They often are. Joe: I know, but they should be supportive, caring – and forgiving. Sam: They often are, Joe. Joe: But are they as good as God wants them to be? Sam: I doubt it – and he seems to want a personal relationship with us even more than we do. Joe: That’s true – he went to great lengths to let us know. Sam: Like being crucified? Joe: Strange, isn’t it? God himself is ready to help each of us through life... Sam: ...and so often we keep him at a distance. I’m not sure what we are afraid of. Joe: Is it love? CHAPTER 3 pp 39-40 The Trinity – from Harry Dean’s book, What and Why we Believe. Doctrine 3: We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead – the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory. Here we are in the presence of mystery, but it would be folly to repudiate the idea expressed in this statement because of that fact. It is good to remember that there are mysteries in other realms. T.H. Huxley, the great agnostic of the last century, once declared: ‘The mysteries of the Church are child’s play compared with the mysteries of nature – the Trinity is not more puzzling than the contradictions of natural science’. Life would be a poor thing if everything was as plain and lucid as the multiplication table, for there is a mystery that does not annul meaning, but enriches it. Salvationists
believe that the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery of light, not of darkness... It is important to observe that this doctrine is not a piece of gratuitous speculation which theologians have tacked on to the gospel. It grew up out of sheer historic necessity. First of all there was the monotheism that was the living heart of Old Testament religion. ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one’ (Deuteronomy 6:4). Secondly, the early disciples, monotheists in heart and practice, found themselves worshipping Jesus as God. 09 Thirdly, in the Early Church there was an overwhelming sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence, making Jesus real. The revelation of Christ had become a creative, continuous, life-giving experience for all believers. The Christian Church, confronted with these three facts, and seeing the need to guard the essentials of its faith, formulated the doctrine of the Trinity. The doctrine flowed out of history and experience, and is intended to preserve the right to offer worship to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as divine, while retaining unimpaired the belief that there is only one God.’ CHAPTER 2 p 10 ‘Family Identity’ – from the book From Generation to Generation. Not surprisingly, the family of God has identifiable family characteristics. As children may look or act like their parents or siblings, so children of God find there are characteristics that not only identify them, but unite them too. leader’s manual
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There were occasions when Jesus gave specific examples of how he expected God’s children to act or react. In the Sermon on the Mount he taught his disciples to ‘Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44). This, he said, would make them sons (or children) of their Father in Heaven (v 45). Because Christians see Jesus as their supreme example, they try to be like him. They see in his life qualities to be emulated. He promised his Spirit to help us in this, so we can use the ‘fruit’ of that Spirit – recorded by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22, 23 – as a good reference point for how we should be developing spiritually. 10 The fruit of the Spirit is listed as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These characteristics should be increasingly evident in all Christians. They identify God’s family – the people who are linked with him by the Holy Spirit’s presence in their lives. The Fruit of the Spirit pp 69-70 from Holiness Unwrapped. Measuring or quantifying spiritual experience can’t be done. There is no way we can give ourselves marks out of 100 for our behaviour or obedience to God’s word and will. Trying to do so would be as foolish as it would be futile. After all, none of us started our Christian journey from the same place. Some of us were taught the faith from an early age and saw it exampled in our parents. Others were taught the faith well, but had poor examples. Others heard a few snatches of the gospel to a helpful or less helpful extent, and far too many have been taught to treat the whole ‘God subject’ with suspicion. Put varied leader’s manual
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intellectual capacity, social interaction, health, tragedy, self-worth and other factors into the equation, and we can see that trying to assess each other’s goodness or holy living is inappropriate too. But we do have a reliable personal checklist. The fruit of the Spirit, as listed by Paul in Galatians 5:22, 23 are the Christlike qualities that should be developing – growing – within us. He identifies the fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. This is probably not an exhaustive list, but there’s no doubt that if we have invited the Holy Spirit into our lives, and he is living his life in us, the evidence of his presence should increasingly be apparent. A Man in Christ pp 45-46 from Samuel Logan Brengle: Heart for God. ‘I knew a man in Christ,’ wrote Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2). That’s a strange expression. Nobody would ever write: ‘I knew a man in Napoleon, in Buddha, in Lincoln.’ It is a startling expression, and yet Paul frequently spoke about being ‘in Christ.’ He meant the Christian person is united with Christ. The life of Christ is in a man. He does not merely believe in Christ; he is connected with Christ and Christ lives within him. I knew a man in Christ whose children said, ‘It is easy to be good when dad is around.’ His Christlike presence brought it out of them. I knew a man who had been a hard, brutal drunkard, but was now a blacksmith ‘in Christ.’ One day a farmer brought his mare to this blacksmith to have her shod. He brought along straps because the horse was so difficult nobody could get near her to
put on shoes unless she was strapped. But the blacksmith ‘in Christ’ said, ‘Let me get acquainted with her’. He walked around her, stroked her gently, and spoke to her kindly and softly, while she rubbed her nose against him, smelled his clothes. She seemed to discover that this was a new creature – a kind she had never met before, especially in a blacksmith’s shop. Everything about him seemed to say to her, ‘Don’t be afraid,’ and she was not afraid. He lifted her foot and took off a shoe, and from that day onwards he shod that mare without strap or tackle, while she stood in perfect quiet…’ (Love Slaves). CHAPTER 3 – ‘The Work of the Spirit’ – pp 20-21 from Frederick Coutts’s book Essentials of Christian Experience. ...with Jesus there was the quality of love which is the first of the fruits of the Holy Spirit’s presence. The ceaseless activity of love as expressed in the life of Jesus is the distinctive element in the Christian experience of holiness. Therefore Christlikeness is holiness. Where Christ is enthroned, there is holiness. Yet holiness is never an ‘imitation’ of Christ, if by that is meant a self-conscious external patterning. Christian holiness will spring from the inward possession of that same Holy Spirit who was in Jesus and by whose power he wrought and taught. ‘You Must be Born Again’ pp 47-48 from Holiness Unwrapped. Not one of us asked to be born. We had no choice or say in the matter. There was no possibility of selecting our parents or our family. The time, place and circumstances into which we were born were determined without any help from us!
In this sense we are not born equally. Some are born into riches, loving homes, a Christian environment and security, while others are born into poverty, terror, faithless societies and injustice. There are all kinds of variations on this. The one equalising fact is that everyone born into the world is fully and immediately loved by God. His love is extended to us all (1 John 4:19). The journey through life to discover and fully enjoy that love is different for everyone, and the road is full of choices. God doesn’t force us into relationship with him. If, having had no say in being born, we decide to turn our back on him, we can. God allows us to exercise our free will. It’s not what he wants (1 Timothy 2:4), but he sees no virtue in forcing people to 11 respond to his love. On the other hand, the Bible shows that God’s love for us is so strong – so total – that he was able to demonstrate it to the fullest possible extent. Speaking of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, when he took the full weight of our sin on his shoulders, John 3:16 records, ‘God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’. The story is not only one of sacrifice, it is also of victory. The resurrection of Jesus, which demonstrated his unequivocal power over death, makes eternal life possible for us all (1 Corinthians 15:57). We can still turn our backs on such love, of course, either pretending it didn’t happen or rejecting it as not having been requested. But the outcome of God’s loving intervention through Jesus, is that we do have a choice in regard to being born – there’s a chance of a new birth that affects our ongoing and eternal life. Put simply, we are invited to be ‘born again’ (John 3:3). leader’s manual
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one rmy In the third chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of two births – our natural one and a spiritual one (vv 5, 6). He tells us that the spiritual birth is essential to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (v 3). Whether we choose this or not is up to us. How does it happen? Jesus said it was a mystery – difficult to explain (v 8), but nonetheless totally effective... The Holy Spirit comes in response to our repentance for wrongdoing. He comes to confirm our complete forgiveness and the opportunity of a fresh start. He comes to make a difference. He comes to give us direction, to teach and prompt us, to equip us by his powerful indwelling presence. 12 The invitation is ours to make. Welcoming him marks the beginning of the holy life. His Spirit helping me... Call to War pp 94-95 from Called to be God’s People. In other parts of Scripture there are frequent references to ‘fear’. In Psalm 23 the psalmist says he will ‘fear no evil’ because God is with him. Psalm 34:9 says: ‘Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.’ Psalm 47:2 reminds us that: ‘the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared.’ Reference after reference points to an appropriate fear of the Lord. Significantly, nowhere in Scripture are we told to fear the devil. In James 4:7 we are urged to ‘resist the devil’ with the promise that he will then flee from us. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are reminded that our enemy the devil ‘prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’. Again we are urged to resist him. But there is no advice to fear him. Although we must not be careless, flippant, unguarded or foolishly dismissive of the devil, we need never fear him. Neither should we attribute to him things which leader’s manual
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he does not have the power to accomplish. To be deceived into a fear of the devil undermines our spiritual effectiveness. Paul will have none of it. ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’ he asks. ‘Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us’ (Romans 8:37). Whatever our human difficulty, Christ is with us. Paul then moves on to the spiritual world. His message is unequivocal. ‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:38, 39). Such confidence is at the heart of our faith. It is founded on the power of the Christ who has conquered the world. We are urged to claim it, to live by it, to prove it.